Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged greater cooperation (SCMP) between their countries on the sixtieth anniversary of a joint defense treaty. Some analysts expect Pyongyang will seek increased support (AP) from Beijing to deal with pandemic-related economic hardship.
China: Beijing said a U.S. warship “intruded into” disputed waters that China claims near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea and urged the U.S. military to stop such “provocations” (Straits Times). The U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet said the ship sailed in accordance with international law.
For the Asia Unbound blog, Captain Robert Francis and Lieutenant Commander Roswell Lary discuss the public diplomacy battle in the South China Sea
